Transparency and Choice Key to Online Trust

A new survey conducted just after the UK began enforcing the cookie law has found that most consumers are more likely to do business with organisations that are transparent about their online data collection, and give people the opportunity to opt-out.

The survey, conducted by Truste and also reported on Computerworld, makes a very clear case for compliance with the cookie law. The figures speak for themselves:

94% of consumers consider online privacy important, and over half are more concerned now than a year ago

53% of consumers don't like behavioural advertising

29% have stopped doing business online with services they don't trust over privacy

55% of people are more likely to do business online with a site where they are given the option to opt-out.

This data presents the clearest business case yet that websites need to take online privacy seriously. It is much more than simple regulatory compliance, or avoiding the risk of fines - it is about gaining trust, by giving people clear choices, and respecting those choices.